Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Republican Stark County treasurer Alex Zumbar appears to have done all the things that the State of Ohio auditor's office told Gary Zeigler he should have done during the time he was treasurer from 1999 (appointed by the Stark Democratic Party Democratic Committee to replace Mark Roach) through the revelation on April 1, 2009 that Zeigler's chief deputy Vince Frustaci had stolen perhaps as much as $3MM in Stark County taxpayer dollars.

In the topsy-turvy world of Stark County government and politics circa 2009 through most of 2011 at least insofar as the Stark treasury was concerned it was kind of a "musical chairs" line of succession in the leadership at treasury beginning in August 23, 2010 when the Democratic Board of Stark Commissioners ([Bosley, Ferguson and Meeks] illegally, as it turned out according to the Ohio Supreme Court) replaced fellow Democrat Zeigler with:

Republican Jaime Allbrittain (for about a month, [she currently is Zumbar's chief deputy]),

Ken Koher(as the appointee of the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee in September, 2010 through the general election of November, 2010 when he was defeated by Alex Zumbar

Alex Zumbar (from November, 2010 through June, 2011 illegally, as it turns out) having been elected in November, 2010 as the appointed candidate (September, 2010) of the Stark County Republican Party, and then

Gary Zeigler (from June 2011 through October 19, 2011 when he resigned in a deal with Stark County commissioners brokered by then-Democrat-commissioner Thomas Bernabei now the "independent" Thomas Bernabei, mayor of Canton) and then

Alex Zumbar again as the temporary appointee of the still Democratic controlled Board of Stark County Commissioners (Bernabei, Ferguson [Democrats] and Republican Janet Creighton) on October 19th and again as the appointee of the Stark County Democratic Democratic Party Central Committee on October 31, 2011.

Looks like a Christmas tree, no?

All of which is designed by the SCPR in graphical political connections color format to poignantly show the political chaos and turbulence that the Stark County treasury experienced from April 1, 2009 to some degree to this very day as Zumbar has interruptedly managed to navigate the political mine field and put Stark's treasury on its most solid footing ever!

Along the way Zumbar had to deal with a software integration problem (which caused a massive semi-annual tax billing problem) experienced in the transition of the county auditor's leadership from Democrat Kim Perez:

(now Canton city treasurer) who many think was a political victim of what local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley termed as being Zeiglergate because of:

his former close political association with Zeigler, and

in the view of many, his failure to spot and bring to a stop the Frustaci theft earlier than April 1, 2009

to Republican Alan Harold who defeated Perez in the November, 2010 general election.

And if the software problem was not enough to have to deal with, political pressure was brought to bear on Zumbar (in and out of office like a ping pong ball he was) to make a dent in the delinquent taxes owed Stark County by citizens because of the fiscal crisis being experienced by the county with the loss of the "imposed" (by Democrat commissioners Bosley and Harmon and Republican Jane Vignos, December, 2008) repealed by a Craig T. Conley led effort in November, 2009.

Besides all of that, Zumbar has a reduced staff.

Zeigler, Zumbar tells the SCPR, had a staff of 24 with all but one being full-time.

Now, Zumbar says, the county treasury has 20 employees with 12 of them being part-time.

Only eight of the current treasury employees are holdovers from the Zeigler era.

On top of being the county treasurer, Alex Zumbar is the leader of the quasi-governmental non-profit Stark County Land Bank which is an entity set up to take in state and federal dollars to help Stark's urban areas (for the most part) rid themselves of blighted properties and/or to rehab salvageable properties.

So it is pretty amazing what Zumbar has accomplished, no?

Zumbar does get miffed at the Stark County Political Report from time-to-time witness blogs which criticize his handling of certain hiring within the treasury (e.g. hiring of fellow Republican Probate judge Dixie Park's daughter and the hiring of a Republican Alliance councilman's daughter) and some of his positions/actions in managing of the county's land bank.

As readers of the SCPR know, no matter how well generally The Report thinks of various Stark County political subdivision officials (Zumbar is on the SCPR "Top 10" List of Elected Officials), nobody is immune from SCPR scrutiny.

The Report's basic mode of journalism (borrowed from former president Ronald Reagan) is "Trust but verify."

And Zumbar like all other Stark officials have been the butt of that approach.

When asked to list what he view as being his accomplishments, this was Zumbar's response:

From: Alex A. Zumbar <aazumbar@starkcountyohio.gov>

To: "tramols@att.net" <tramols@att.net>

Sent: Monday, May 23, 2016 9:43 AM

Subject: Inquiry from May 16 2016.

Martin:

Below is a short list of areas which I concentrated my efforts after being elected Stark County Treasurer in 2010 and going to work starting on November 30, 2010. There were many issues identified that required correction. Keep in mind, the office was also hampered by the cuts that were still in effect due to the sales tax no longer being in effect. As such I had to prioritize the issues identified from greatest to least importance and develop a strategy on how best to accomplish correcting them on the limited budget that was in place. With the passage of the Sales Tax issue in November of 2011 the budgets in 2012 and going forward would begin to allow resources to become available which would then be used to address other areas of concern that I had identified but could not address due to budgetary concerns.

SCPR PICTURE INSERT OF NEW CONFIGURATION OF "OUTER" OFFICE AREA AT STARK TREASURY

[SCPR NOTE: Zumbar was hampered in doing some of the reforms/restructuring of facilities at the county treasury office complex due to—until the passage of and beginning collection of the November, 2011 county 1/2 cent sales tax—a short in county finances to fund capital improvements.

There have been some skirmishes between Zumbar and commissioners over the timing and prior commissioner approval of certain facility improvements.]

On June 23, 2011 the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio issued a quo warranto and I was removed from office through no fault of mine.

Shortly afterwards I was contacted by Kelli Young to discuss my efforts to correct the deficiencies which were pointed out in the State Audit and what I was able to accomplish during my tenure as Stark County Treasurer. Kelly interviewed Chief Deputy Jaime Allbritain and other sources for her story.

She wrote an article reviewing the State’s recommendations and what had been completed during my time as Treasurer. It can be found at the following link

http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20110708/NEWS/307089888

I have summarized her article below…

State recommendations

Vault cash

Recommendation: Review how much cash the county historically has needed on-hand and contact similarly sized counties to obtain an understanding of how they maintain and control the amount of cash in their vaults. State auditors said the treasurer often had too much cash — sometimes up to $1.4 million — in the office vault, increasing theft risk.

Status: Completed.

Jaime Allbritain, who served as interim treasurer shortly after Zeigler’s ouster, served as second-in-command to interim Treasurer Kenneth Koher and former Treasurer Alexander Zumbar and now runs the office as chief deputy treasurer until Zeigler obtains his state-required bond, said the office’s three cashiers start and end the day with $500 each in their drawers. If a cashier receives an exorbitant amount during the day, the money is taken to the bank, located in the same building as the treasurer’s office. At least one deposit is made per day, she said. (The amount has since been reduced to $200 per drawer.)

Segregation of duties

Recommendation: Designate separate people to handle different parts of the cash collection process. Auditors said the office’s head cashier was responsible for maintaining cash in the vault, depositing the cash, processing wire transfers and preparing month-end statements. She also served as a backup cashier and collected counter payments when needed. Auditors said the lack of segregation of duties could result in errors or irregularities not being discovered in a timely manner.

Status: Completed. The head cashier no longer serves as backup cashier and no longer maintains a cash drawer in the vault, Allbritain said.

Cash counts

Recommendation: Conduct surprise cash counts of the vault and develop a formal cash counting process that requires the vault to be counted on a regular basis by two employees who are separate from the cash collection process. Auditors found that the cash maintained in the head cashier’s vault was counted only sporadically by employees in charge of the vault. Counts conducted by those in charge of the funds increases the risk that cash could be misappropriated and go undetected, auditors said.

Status: Ongoing. Head Cashier Rota Cutter said she conducts surprise cash counts at least once a month. She said the state also conducted its own count in December. The head cashier also no longer maintains excess money in the vault because any excess funds are deposited in the bank.

Vault deposits

Recommendation: Have two employees present when vault cash is counted, the deposit slip is prepared and when the cash is transported to the bank.

Status: No longer applicable. The office no longer keeps excess money in the vault.

Locked cash drawers

Recommendation: Ensure that cashiers secure their cash drawers when they leave their desks. Auditors found that cashier drawers remained unlocked throughout the day and were accessible to office employees and nonemployees.

Status: Completed. Previously, cashiers could not lock their drawers because the locks didn’t exist or they were broken, Allbritain said. Now, all the cashiers have functional locks on their drawers. Employees also must lock their cash drawers in the vault when they go to lunch, she said.

The office vault’s timer, which allows staff to lock the vault overnight and schedule when the vault can be opened, has been repaired and is used daily. The combinations to the lock boxes within the vault also have been changed, and their four-digit combination codes were among different employees so that no single employee has the entire code.

A second set of eyes

Recommendation: Have a second person observe and verify the amount a cashier holds in their individual drawer.

Status: Completed. Initially in November of 2010 when I took office we were unable to accomplish this due to limited staffing — nine fewer full-time workers than in 2008 — a second person wasn’t available to stand by each day. Random cash counts and limiting the cash drawers to $200 helps verify the drawer amounts.

Shortage policy

Recommendation: Revise the office’s policy on how to handle when an employee has received an incorrect amount of money or returned incorrect change. Auditors said the office’s policy that cashiers must use their personal funds to pay for shortages in their drawers increases the likelihood of employee turnover and raises the risk an overage will be misappropriated.

Status: Completed. A policy issued in April 2011 states that overages must be given to the office’s head cashier or chief deputy treasurer to be placed in a separate cash box with documentation that provides the cashier’s name, amount and date. The overage is then recorded as “other revenue.” Shortages will be paid by the cashier, documented with the proper notations and recorded as “other expenditures.” Discipline could range from suspension without pay to termination, based on the dollar amount and/or frequency of overages and shortages, according to the policy.

New policies also have been issued for cash-handling operations, and a whistleblower policy has been created, records show. The blank bank checks the office once manually issued (similar to the ones former Chief Deputy Vince Frustaci used to withdraw $230,000 from a FirstMerit branch) have been shredded and eliminated. Most electronic payments or ACH transfers are now handled by the county auditor’s office, which pays the bills for the county.

Original documents

Recommendation: Allow the county auditor’s office to periodically compare the month-end statements that are provided by the treasurer’s office to the original records, so the auditor can verify that the provided documents reflect the actual financial activity. State auditors found that previous bank statements given to the county auditor’s office had been altered.

Status: Complete.

Stark County Auditor office now has viewing privileges for the county’s main operating account at FirstMerit Bank and performs spot checks to ensure the bank balances match the treasurer’s records. Also, in an effort to provide greater transparency there is a monthly meeting that is held with the Auditor and Commissioners to review the County finances.

On October 19, 2011 the County Commissioners appointed me as Treasurer upon the resignation of Treasurer Gary Zeigler.

On October 31, 2011 the Stark County Democrat Central Committee voted to appoint me to replace the former Treasurer.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

On Tuesday The Stark County Political Report became the only Stark County news/opinion outlet to delve into WKYC—Channel 3—reported allegations that a police conduct cover up is underway in Stark County. (LINK to Tuesday's blog)The alleged cover up pertains to operations of Stark's SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics unit [LINK] stand off with one Shane Ryan at Great Clips in Massillon on July 28, 2012 which resulted in Ryan's death at the hand of a SWAT officer. (LINK)

Though written transcripts of the shooting do not identify the shooting officer, the WKYC report identifies the shooter as being Sgt. Charles Saler, a 26 year veteran of the SWAT team.

As far as the SCPR is concerned the core of the story is a investigative conversation between then assigned by Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier sheriff department employees Captain Lou Darrow and Sergeant Ron Perdue of various Canton (SWAT team members) and Massillon Police Department members.

In particular, this series will focus on this part of the investigative interrogation, to wit:

Here is language from the transcript which has a number of Stark Countians' questioning the objectivity of the investigation. (From the WKYC report of May 18, 2016)

WKYC narrative inthis color.

Speakers narrative inthis color.

Using a shield, Saler tried to separate Ryan from his hostage.

(Saler)“Shane Ryan was yelling that he was going to both kill the hostage, pull the gas line and blow up the building,”

“The situation changed and it’s lethal.”

After entering the utility room and charging Ryan, Saler said he was not immediately able to separate the hostage.

He said Ryan was holding the woman with one hand and the lighter with the other.

He said he did not know if Ryan had other weapons besides the lighter. For the safety of the hostage, Saler said he had to fire the two shots.

“He had the lighter that I knew of and options that I didn’t know of,”Saler said during the deposition.

That’s not the account recalled by Massillon police Officer Kervin Brown, who was at the doorway when SWAT entered.

Sheriff’s Lt. Lou Darrow and Sgt. Ron Perdue were assigned to conduct the independent investigation for presentation to a grand jury. They recorded the interview with Brown.

“None of you guys, nobody is in any trouble, because what happened was a fine thing as far as from a legal standpoint,”

Darrow said to Brown before the interview.

“We’re building a package for grand jury to go in there and go look, Massillon had this call, they did everything they could to get the guy out.”

In the audio recording, Brown said he was stationed inside the Great Clips just feet away from where Ryan was holed up. He watched as SWAT passed him.

Seconds later, he recalled:“I kind of turned my back, grabbed (the hostage) and was getting her out, they were dealing with her and I heard two shots.”

Brown was asked where the hostage was when the shots were fired.

“She was just at the door, on her way out, when the shots went off, so, I don’t know if she saw any of that. We basically had her headed out the door. I don’t think she saw any of that. But she knew what happened.”

A moment later, Darrow and Perdue ask Brown to step out of the interview room. They do not stop the tape recording.

“Well, this is the first guy we talked to, that I talked to, that said that they shot him,”Perdue said in a whisper.“Saler told me that the suspect still had a hold of her, around the neck. [Brown] said she was out the door, so we have a conflict here.”

Darrow tells his partner they will wait to see what other witnesses say.

“What I’m asking,”Perdue adds,“is what kind of line of questioning do we want to do here because I don’t want to open up a Pandora’s box if we don’t have to.”

Darrow replies,“We’ll gloss over that part first.”

Brown returns and continues his interview. He then repeats his account that the female hostage was freed before Ryan is shot.

“We’re taking her out of the building. At that point, I heard two shots,”Brown said.

When this narrative became known to the Ryan family via the family's attorney William Walker (a former policeman himself), demands broke out that Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero reconvene a grand jury seeking indictments on the premise that the killing of Ryan was an "unjustified" homicide.

Ferrero had previously presented the matter to a Stark County grand jury which returned a "justified" homicide ruling.

Here is what Ferrero is reported to have said with respect to the new demands:

Again, this is an extract from the WKYC report:In an interview this month, Stark County Prosecutor John D. Ferrero said he was unaware of Brown’s statements or the statements of the detectives.

He later spoke to an assistant prosecutor who presented the case to the grand jury.

The assistant downplayed Brown’s recollection. Ferrero said he believes Brown was nervous about the shooting and mistaken about the timeline.

Nonetheless, Brown’s statement were not told to a grand jury, which declined to charge Saler.

“They said they were going to gloss over it and they did,”Walker said.

Walker said he intends to contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office or the U.S. Department of Justice and request the investigation be reopened.

The SCPR has received information showing that local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley has taken it upon himself to in effect be a surrogate for Walker and his client.

First, Conley's letter to the United States District Attorney for Northern Ohio.

Second, Conley's letter to Ohio Attorney General Michael DeWine.

Conley has been an "on again, off again" nemesis of Prosecutor Ferrero going back years and in particular a previous Stark County event which Conley at the time termed as being "Zeiglergate."

However, Conley did stand in Ferrero's corner when he challenged along with Lou Darrow and others George T. Maier's qualification to be Stark County sheriff (January 2013 through November, 2014).

The SCPR thinks this story could turn out to be a much bigger event than is presently envisioned by local media, political and policing authorities.

And readers can depend on The Stark County Political Report to report and analyze the entire story from beginning to end.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Until the Canton Parks funding issued failed in the general election of November, 2015, notwithstanding the election of political independent Thomas Bernabei over Parks director Derek Gordon political patron William J. Healy, II; nobody believe that Gordon's job was in jeopardy in a Bernabei administration.

While the focus was on the mayor's race, many local political observers were surprised at the defeat of Issue 37.

And it appears to the SCPR that Director Gordon is being blamed by important persons in Canton government politics for the loss.

One of politically smart things that Bernabei did as mayor-elect was to announce that he would be retaining all of Healy's cabinet officials and department heads.

Another smart thing that Bernabei did was to authentically include Canton City Council in deliberations about how to make some $5.1 million in cuts to Canton's annual budget.

Yet another smart thing was his putting Sam Sliman (administration official), Gordon and J.R. Rinaldi together in a team effort to get funding for Canton's new parks and recreation entity which was going run out of money with —$0—funding as of January 1, 2017.

For there is no money in Canton's general fund to finance the CPC.

Note the dramatic turn around in the results.

Though Gordon and Sliman have been along with Rinaldi recognized by Canton City Council for their combined successful effort, most observers credit Rinaldi for the bulk of the success.

Besides making the aforesaid smart decisions, the new mayor has had a demeanor of "come, let us work together" with those Cantonians and Stark Countians who have a major say in the future of Canton.

But he may be about to ruffle the feathers of many Canton City councilpersons if Derek Gordon is not selected to succeed himself as director of the in the process merger of the Canton Parks Commission (CPC) and the Canton Joint Recreation District (CJRD).

While Bernabei does not make the choice himself, two of three members (Hanke and Sliman) are Bernabei appointees to the CPC which will make the decision and only the politically naive believe that the commissioners will make a choice that is not pleasing to Mayor Thomas M. Bernabei.

There is no doubt that the selection process could turnout to be a political "can of worms" a la the SCPR blog of April 14, 2016 (LINK).

THE FIVE FINALISTS AND THEIR RÈSUMÈS

DOUG HAINES: PERRY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE

DONALD PATTERSON: ASS'T CANTON PARKS & REC DIRECTOR

DEREK GORDON: CURRENT CANTON PARKS & REC DIRECTOR

GREY MYTINGER: CURRENT CRJD DIRECTOR

J.R. RINALDI: MEMBER OF CJRD BOARD

As the SCPR sees the ultimate outcome of the three park commissioners selecting a director, it boils down to a "roll of the dice" as between Gordon and Rinaldi.

Interviews of the candidates started on Tuesday evening and are to conclude on Thursday evening.

To The Report, Trustee Haines has no chance at all but likely made the list because he has political connections that are not apparent to local politicos. For his rèsumè contains nothing whatsoever that suggest he would be an appropriate appointee.

Mytinger and Patterson likely made list because both are currently in the mix as either a Canton parks official or CJRD official.

Gordon, if the choice were up to Canton City Council would win reappointment hands down.

A couple of weeks ago Members Fisher (Ward 5) and Morris (Ward 9) told the SCPR that by their calculation most of council wants Gordon reappointed. The SCPR has also been told by a source that Gordon is playing that support for all its worth in circulating a petition for supporting persons to sign up on for presentation to the board of park commissioners.

As an example of the support that Gordon is receiving from council members, here is a e-mail letter that Councilman Edmond Mack wrote to yours truly weeks ago:

I had received your message, thanks for reaching out. My thoughts on the directorship of the newly-merged Canton Parks and Recreation Department, for whatever they may be worth, are these:I have not heard that there were efforts underway to consider applications for Director of the new PRD. That is news to me. Nevertheless, such an exercise would be entirely reasonable and appropriate. T:\his will be a new entity, albeit very similar, and we want to be positive that it is being managed in the most efficient and effective manner possible under the best leadership available. This is our obligation to the taxpayers.

In the event applications for the new Director of the new PRD are accepted, I would hope that Parks Director Gordon is strongly, strongly considered. This is for four reasons:(1) I have witnessed first-hand Director Gordon’s ability, leadership, and out-side-the-box thinking. For example, Director Gordon and I both spent countless hours on formulating, and ultimately abandoning, the St. Mark’s Playground project. It required a significant amount of time to formulate this potential project in a manner that was beneficial in both cost and resources for the City, the Church, and the neighborhood. Yet, ensuring the voice of the neighborhood was heard, and then ultimately setting-aside this proposed project in response to this feedback, took just as much thought and preparation. Director Gordon and I had many late night phone calls. He and I literally evaluated and analyzed each necessary decision together. While to this day I still believe the project warranted implementation on its objective merits, we made the correct decision in eliminating the proposal in recognition of our duties to the taxpayers. While admittedly very difficult, it was the right thing to do.

(2) Director Gordon understands the need for strategic thinking in this City. To that end, we have discussed the adoption and implementation of the Comprehensive Plan on many, many occasions. In conjunction with Engineer Moeglin, Director Gordon is the strongest voice in our City for the creation of our new urban trail system. His advocacy is not based upon a “gut feeling,” but rather expert data and analysis. (See, Canton Comprehensive Plan, pp. 17, 53). This is the exact type of thinking our City needs.

(3) Director Gordon is a 31 year-old graduate of McKinley High school, the University of Mount Union, and holds a master’s degree in public administration. Like nearly all of his similarly-situated peers, he could have easily left Canton for a larger city with more opportunities. Yet, he, his wife, and his newly-born son chose to make Canton their home (residing on Johnnycake NE). If this City intends to make progress, Director Gordon is the precise type of person we desperately need to retain – not effectively abandon. (See, Canton Comprehensive Plan, pp. 12, 49).

(4) Finally, it would be a mistake to consider the lack of the passage of Issue 37 in 2015, the park levy, as a negative on Director Gordon’s body of work. As one who spent both time and resources on the passage of ballot Issue 47 that same election cycle, namely, the Charter Issue, I can truly attest that the Nov. 2015 election was highly unusual. Driven by the lead contested race, the data reflects a voting pattern we have not seen in this City in nearly 20 years, and which we may never see again. And this data from the unsuccessful Issue 37 campaign was very useful in the recent, very impressive passage of the park levy, to which Director Sliman and Board President Rinaldi deserve such incredible credit. But to hold the failure of Issue 37 against Director Gordon is, in my view, unwarranted. It would be no different than holding the failure of Issue 47 against me in my service as a Councilperson.

In sum, I very, very strongly endorse Director Gordon for the position of Director of the new PRD. Of course, I am not responsible for making this hiring decision, as it is entrusted to the Park Commission. I have no doubt that they will do what is best for our City.

Thanks again for your public service to our community, and hope to see you soon.

Edmond J. Mack

Canton Council, Ward 8

Rinaldi, a CJRD board member and also a member of the Canton City Schools Board of Education has a resource that trumps all others.

He is close to the mayor and the mayor's family.

And, of course, he is credited with getting the parks levy passed as contrasted to Gordon's failure in the minds of some highly important officials involved in the selection process.

However, his closeness to Mayor Bernabei may end up hurting him inasmuch one would think that the new mayor would not want to appear to be of the ilk of the leadership of the Stark County "organized" Democratic Party in that political insiders to that leadership seem to have an overwhelming advantage in gaining Democratic Party appointments to elective/appointive positions in Stark County political subdivision government.

Bernabei, a long time Democrat, of course, challenged the Stark Dems' establishment in declaring as a political independent a little over a year ago and went on to defeat incumbent Democratic mayor William J. Healy, II (again, Gordon's appointer) in November.

Remember, seven of the twelve Canton City Council members (including Mack, who also served as Dems' legal counsel with Lee Plakas) supported the Dems in litigation designed to deprive Bernabei of ballot qualifying independent status.

So Bernabei might feel a bit politically boxed in and therefore in order the very appearance of political impropriety and end up letting it be known that the commissioners should not select Rinaldi.

The SCPR's take on Bernabei is that in the spirit that "all is fair in 'love and war (political in this instance)" and seems to have no qualms in working with nearly all of Healy's appointees and friends on council.

If there is an exception, it appears to be one Derek Gordon.

And that could be no deeper than Bernabei's desire to have Rinaldi appointed to the parks' directorship.

In the foregoing lies a pathway for either Haines, Patterson or Mytinger.

The politics of selecting between Gordon and Rinaldi might be so sensitive that it becomes politically dangerous to the new mayor for either to be selected.

But if Bernabei's supporters on the park commission are willing to take that risk, one has to think that Rinaldi will surface as the selectee.

Nonetheless, the SCPR thinks that it really boils down to "a roll of the dice," and whom among Gordon and Rinaldi comes up with the greater number of dots.

Which, of course, means in the world of political calculation which of the two presents the least political risk to the relatively new Thomas M. Bernabei administration in receiving the appointment.

The alleged cover up pertains to operations of Stark's SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics unit [LINK] stand off with one Shane Ryan at Great Clips in Massillon on July 28, 2012 which resulted in Ryan's death at the hand of a SWAT officer. (LINK)

Though written transcripts of the shooting do not identify the shooting officer, the WKYC report identifies the shooter as being Sgt. Charles Saler, a 26 year veteran of the SWAT team.

The WKYC investigative report points to several Stark County current/former political subdivision law enforcement officials as possibly being involved the the construction of a cover up on how the SWAT/Ryan encounter went down.

If a cover up is shown to be true, Canton mayor Thomas M. Bernabei—elected as mayor as a political independent in November, 2015— could be faced with yet another crisis in getting his administration up and running.

Currently, Bernabei is working the city through a $5.1 million budget deficit and it could be that next year the city will have to make up another million or so in continuing deficits.

There is a civil suit on the docket in the United States District Court sitting in Akron (former Stark County judge Sara Lioi, the federal court judge presiding in the case) filed by the family of Shane Ryan said by one experienced Stark County attorney to be potentially worth millions.

One has to wonder whether or not financially depressed Canton and Massillon (currently in State of Ohio fiscal emergency on the request of current mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry) are in for additional stress on their financial condition should the cities be found liable to the Ryan family.

Like each and everyone of us, police and other government officials will and do make mistakes.

And it is a human tendency to cover up one's misdeeds.

But cover up operations once discovered only make matters worse.

Worse of all for law enforcement, it makes the day-in, day-out job of keeping the police all the more difficult.

Cops on the beat suffer the most in terms of daily law enforcement when police misconduct is covered up by higher ups.

The Stark County Political Report's interest in this matter focuses who among Stark County law enforcement officialdom (current and past) may have been involved if it turns out that on further investigation hopefully by Ohio entities such as the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and/or the Ohio attorney general's office shows that there was in deed an effort to cover up what really happened in the course of the SWAT/Ryan matter and the

The Report's approach is to take the names of officials (for purposes of opinion analysis) who have been reported to have or had a part in the alleged cover up or who appear to be facilitating—in the opinion of some—the perpetuation of a Ryan case cover up.

LOUIS DARROW

In 2013 (LINK), when then Stark County top Stark County Sheriff official Lou Darrow stepped up to challenge political power player George T. Maier as the successor to November, 2012 sheriff-elect Mike McDonald (who was unable to take office in January, 2013 due to an illness which in February cost him his life), the SCPR wall all-in on the belief that Darrow was all about policing without the politics that The Report thinks Maier is consummately infected with.

After the WKYC revelations of the Darrow-led investigation of the Ryan matter, it appears that in his own way (protecting fellow police), Darrow may be just as prone to being affected by political considerations as George T. Maier.

Lurking in the background in this entire matter is Maier himself who assigned Darrow and fellow sheriff's office deputy Ronald Perdue (a sergeant) to investigate police conduct in Ryan.

To The Report, the Stark County sheriff''s department heading up of the investigation had to be pregnant with "conflict-in-interest" from day that Maier agreed to take the matter on.

Maier as sheriff is a member of the SWAT operation and was as the SCPR understands it on the scene when Stark's SWAT dealt with the Ryan situation.

It is no surprise to the SCPR that Maier would have the arrogance to think his office could do an impartial investigation.

He should have at the time brought in the Ohio attorney general's office (OAG) and/or the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) to do the investigation of police conduct in the Ryan matter.

Even now, he should reopen the matter and ask the OAG/BCI to nail down a "what actually happened" version of events.

Sheriff Maier did Canton and Massillon (where he was a past safety director) no favors at all in taking on the investigation.

His appointee to head of the task, Lou Darrow, now heads up policing for Walsh University (August, 2014) located in North Canton having retired from the sheriff's department.

Up to earlier this month, Perdue was on the job at Walsh (LINK) as Darrow's top assistant.

However, he is currently on "paid leave" (LINK) because of a domestic violence charge he faces in the Canton Municipal Court with Judge Mary Falvey presiding. (Excerpt from CJIS)

Here is language from the transcript which has a number of Stark Countians' questioning the objectivity of the investigation. (From the WKYC report of May 18, 2016)

WKYC narrative in this color.
Speakers narrative in this color.

Using a shield, Saler tried to separate Ryan from his hostage.

(Saler) “Shane Ryan was yelling that he was going to both kill the hostage, pull the gas line and blow up the building,”

“The situation changed and it’s lethal.”

After entering the utility room and charging Ryan, Saler said he was not immediately able to separate the hostage.

He said Ryan was holding the woman with one hand and the lighter with the other.

He said he did not know if Ryan had other weapons besides the lighter. For the safety of the hostage, Saler said he had to fire the two shots.

“He had the lighter that I knew of and options that I didn’t know of,”Saler said during the deposition.

That’s not the account recalled by Massillon police Officer Kervin Brown, who was at the doorway when SWAT entered.

Sheriff’s Lt. Lou Darrow and Sgt. Ron Perdue were assigned to conduct the independent investigation for presentation to a grand jury. They recorded the interview with Brown.

“None of you guys, nobody is in any trouble, because what happened was a fine thing as far as from a legal standpoint,”

Darrow said to Brown before the interview.

“We’re building a package for grand jury to go in there and go look, Massillon had this call, they did everything they could to get the guy out.”

In the audio recording, Brown said he was stationed inside the Great Clips just feet away from where Ryan was holed up. He watched as SWAT passed him.

Seconds later, he recalled: “I kind of turned my back, grabbed (the hostage) and was getting her out, they were dealing with her and I heard two shots.”

Brown was asked where the hostage was when the shots were fired.

“She was just at the door, on her way out, when the shots went off, so, I don’t know if she saw any of that. We basically had her headed out the door. I don’t think she saw any of that. But she knew what happened.”

A moment later, Darrow and Perdue ask Brown to step out of the interview room. They do not stop the tape recording.

“Well, this is the first guy we talked to, that I talked to, that said that they shot him,”Perdue said in a whisper. “Saler told me that the suspect still had a hold of her, around the neck. [Brown] said she was out the door, so we have a conflict here.”

Darrow tells his partner they will wait to see what other witnesses say.

“What I’m asking,” Perdue adds, “is what kind of line of questioning do we want to do here because I don’t want to open up a Pandora’s box if we don’t have to.”

Darrow replies,“We’ll gloss over that part first.”

Brown returns and continues his interview. He then repeats his account that the female hostage was freed before Ryan is shot.

“We’re taking her out of the building. At that point, I heard two shots,”Brown said.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Superintendent has reached out personally to the families of the children who were upset on Monday night and apologized. School board president Milligan has also written a personal letter to them apologizing on behalf of (us) the board.

Superintendent Allison went on the Ron Ponder Show to publicly apologize as well to the families.

When we honor the youngsters at the next board meeting, the superintendent and I agreed that we need to do something a little extra special for the kids. More to come. When you make a mistake, you identify it, learn from it, grow from it.

The SCPR disagrees with Mr. Soper (see e-mail below) that The Report thinks or said that the CPEA had anything to do with the calling of the CCS BOE executive session and the concomitant slighting of the to be recognized students.

Moreover, The Report deals in the body of the original blog with Mr. Soper's e-mail contention that CPEA member presence had nothing to do with the CCS-BOE non-renewal of 12 teachers which the SCPR conjectured in the original blog was a reason for the presence. Taking Mr. Soper's word for it, the SCPR stands corrected.

John Rinaldi, a member of the CCS BOE contacted The Report on Wednesday to express his dismay with the executive session being held early in Monday's session and for going so long so as to deprive the to be recognized students of their honors at Monday's meeting He said that he thought the board would be issuing a public apology and would try to make amends to the students.

As always when the SCPR gets a written response regarding a blog from any subject of a blog, the entire response gets published to allow subjects/organizations (its members) to express his/her/its point of view.

What follows is a response by one Greg Soper apparently speaking for himself and perhaps for others inasmuch as he uses the pronoun "We."

The Report has indication that the official spokesperson for the CPEA is Tina Riley.

Ms. Riley has not contacted the SCPR on the blog.

SOPER'S EMAIL

[Thursday, May 19, 20163:24 PM

[From] greg soper

[To:] Mr. Martin Olsen: [Olson]

This is Greg Soper from the Canton Professional Educators Association (CPEA). I read your blog daily and we have met at several events. I am looking forward to reading your blog this election season.

I am writing in reference to your piece on the Canton City Board Meeting May 16th, 2016. I believe you have been misinformed about the event and that the information on your blog is incorrect. CPEA had no role in calling for the Executive Session. The CPEA rally had nothing to do with the non-renewal of teachers. Ohio Law and the CPEA Contract permit the district to non-renew a teacher without cause in years one through four.

CPEA was actually holding a rally to support our negotiations team. This was a planned event, which we made plans to do May 4th Many of us went inside to the meeting as we did in February and April.

While there was an Executive Session posted the Canton City School Website, CPEA was unaware of what it was about. It was not until we read the addendum when we arrived inside that we did. According to the addendum the Executive Sessions were at the request of Digital Academy Principal Minerva Morrow and Lehman Assistant Principal Pamela Bernabei-Rorrer. There was no executive session regarding a CPEA member. The executive session only involved administration.

CPEA was cognizant that the children being honored were feeling hurt and the time was getting late, and CPEA members took it upon themselves to honor the students. I am sure you are aware of the events that followed. It is important to note that it was Senior Administrator Peggy Savage was the one that shut down CPEA from honoring the students citing protocol.

CPEA members were at the meeting to honor their students and over a hundred teachers stayed for over two hours to do so. We would appreciate that you would issue a correction to your reporting on this event. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me or email the following chairs of our Member Advocacy Committee:

. . .

As I said earlier, I look forward to reading your blog this election season. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump will provide us with much entertainment.

After 30.5 years of teaching in Canton City Schools, I finally have time to read. I am currently reading nonfiction—The Superintendent’s contract and information from Public Records Requests.

You can’t make this stuff up--

Superintendent Allison is paid $130,000/245 days=$530.61 per diem

• Supplemental-- $8,460; $13,460--2016-17 if three positive evaluations. After 2016-17=$18,460 Increase of $10,000 in 2 years

His evaluations are to be based on student achievement and performance. Sliding test scores since Brighter Tomorrow are not included in his evaluations.

Neither is “Climate and culture.”

• Stipend--$5,000

No one can explain what duties and services Adrian Allison performs for his supplemental and stipend. They are spelled out for all stipends for other employees.

• We pay for a laptop and other communication devices and cell phone services for school and personal business

• Car allowance--$500 per month ($6,000 per year)

• In addition to all this other money, he received the following pay last year for 15 additional work days = $8,477 (extended time logs). He billed for, and received pay for 25 days unused vacation days--$13,265.31.

• His contract says “the duties of this position will require the Superintendent to work during times other than normal business hours.”

Here are some of the things on his logs for which he received his per diem pay, things that staff does for no pay:

• Graduations
• Football and Boys and Girls Basketball games (not swimming, track, soccer, all you minor sports!). This includes McKinley/Massillon game.
• Hall of Fame Enshrinees Dinner
• Arts Academy Holiday Program and Arts Academy Piano Recital. His children are students there.
• Superintendent Advisory Council
• Community Meetings re: combining high schools and Brighter Tomorrow
• George Dunwoody’s funeral
• CPEA Spring Banquet AND CPEA NEGOTIATIONS

So, teachers and staff, time is money.

You, too, need full-time pay when you do these same things, staff Brighter Tomorrow University this summer, and do the countless things you do beyond your school day to serve your students.

ORIGINAL BLOG

Today, I planned to do a blog on an important Stark County government development.

However, on reading The Repository's Kelly Byer's account of the Canton City Schools Board of Education (CCS, BOE) meeting of last night, scrap that plan.

Byer writes a spellbinding account of seeming chaos spilling out of onto the floor of last night's CCS BOE meeting.

The top Digital Academy administrator was non-renewed without articulated reasons despite two supporters' contention:

that she was in touch by virtue of being an African-American in a largely African-American student body,

that she demonstrated dedication to task, and

obviously, has academic strengths in that she speaks four languages,

A recommended by the Allison administration for non-renewal of the Lehman assistant principal was rejected the BOE except for President Richard Milligan,

A band teacher was renewed as a consequence of the due diligence of BOE member Eric Resnick on is not seeing anything alarming in her record and the Allison administration failed to provide justifying reasons for her recommended dismissal,

The Canton Professional Education (CPEA) holds a solidarity meeting with banners and placards galore in the vicinity the BOE meeting building location, (Note: In the original blog, the The Report expressed the view that the CPEA presence, one would think, had something to do with teacher non-renewals; CPEA member Greg Soper [see e-mail contents above] says that such was the case. Taking Mr. Soper's word for it, the SCPR stands corrected)

"Tensions ran high after board members began the meeting and then [apparently immediately] adjourned to executive session for nearly two hours,"

Two students awaiting recognition for achievement are left waiting as the BOE is in executive session,

One leaves in tears,

The other is recognized by CCS staff apparently not included in the executive session after his mother chided them as representatives of the CCS for the BOE's disappointing her son in the board and the superintendent having gone into executive session,

It makes no sense at all for Superintendent Allison to say of a number of those asked to resign/non-renewed: (quotes from Byer's article)

"All of these individuals, we value them as employees," Allison said after the meeting.

He said he appreciated Zitnik's [principal of CCS's freshmen academy] service and expects her to go on to "bigger and brighter things."

In view of his recommended non-renewal, what does Allison base his "we value them as [teaching] employees" on?

In view of his recommended non-renewal, what does Allison base his of Zitnik base his "her go on to 'bigger and brighter things"' upon?

One is left with the feeling that such is politically correct pontification, no?

And, of course, there is this SCPR blog of September 15, 2015 (LINK) whereby it appears that a political deal was struck whereby the Stark County Educational Service Center (disclaimer: yours truly's spouse is a SCESC board member) agreed to be the employer of Allison's wife though she works for the CCS and thereby getting around a state statute prohibiting the hiring of one's relatives by an elected/appointed officials.

While the SCESC's prime function is to support Stark County school districts, to The Report such transactions are over-the-line of propriety as far as the SCPR is concerned as to what is acceptable in terms of support.

A seeming extra toying around with the intention of the state stature, in the SCPR's opinion, is the existence of a structure within CCS operations whereby Allison's wife Krista (Director, Student, Family and Community Support) is not "directly" accountable to him.

Such contortions apparently meet legal requirements but nonetheless add fuel to the notion on the part of many day-in, day-out users of Canton's schools that political wheelin' and dealin' is the norm and not the exception within Canton's school system including some of its board members steeped in a political agenda (for example, this LINK) rather than the well being of the CCS.

This is a school system that has in the latest evaluation by the Ohio Department of Education gotten all "D" and "F" (the predominate rating) grades.

Simply outrageous is all that one can say about the political "war zone" that the administration, the BOE and the CPEA have wrought on the Canton City School System.

Chaos and infighting galore in the CCS and every Stark Countian and Ohioan (by virtue of millions upon millions of non-CCS tax dollars going to CCS schools) has a stake in county and state education officials stepping in to stop the political differences carnage that the BOE, the Allison administration and CPEA volatile mixture has visited upon powerless students and parents.

President Milligan's "we didn't think [the executive session] was going to take this long" is totally unacceptable.

However long, the think for any elected body to do is to "always!!!" schedule executive sessions AT THE END OF THE REGULAR MEETING!

Tell a student who waited all week for her impending recognition but who was left in the lurch by an obviously insensitive, unthinking BOE and consequently left in tears that she is welcome back at the next meeting to get her recognition.

She may return.

But even if she does, the damage is likely done in her perception of the membership of the Canton City Schools Board of Education.

As the graphic at the lead of this blog shows.

For those powerless families that are left to fend for themselves to gain an education in the Canton system: "Oh, My God! My Child Attends the Canton City Schools."

The rejoinder?

"May the Lord of Hosts have mercy on our souls!"

With a school system like Canton's; all the work on the Hall of Fame Village, Market Square and the Citywide Comprehensive Plan is being undermined BIG TIME!!!

Email Subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz

SEARCH STARK POLITICAL REPORT

most recent posts

About Blogger

B.A. - Political Science
J.D.
AN INDEPENDENT MINDED POLITICAL COMMENTATOR
Until 1976 I was a Republican. Since then I have considered myself a Democrat. So after long term stints of being a Republican, then a Democrat, I have come to the political position I feel most comfortable with - being an INDEPENDENT MINDED ANALYST who demands effectiveness of our politicians - Republican, Democrat or whatever.
I have changed my political affiliation to "non-partisan" by not voting in either political party primary election.